Around July 21, 1861

In this day and age, newspapers rarely print fiction. Of course, there is the occasional magical story written by a third grade class that appears every once a week in the Arts and Entertainment section of the paper, but for the most part, fictional stories of real substance are not published in newspapers anymore. This was not the case in the 1800's. Appearing in The Valley Star each week was...

Union Colonel Robert McAllister participated in the Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861. McAllister and the 1st New Jersey volunteers were instructed to act as a rear guard at the town of Centreville for General Irvin McDowell’s routed force. The Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War. After the arrival of Confederate reinforcements,...

On July 20, 1861, Union General Butler wrote a letter to Secretary of War Simon Cameron asking what to do with fugitive slaves. In May, 1861, three slaves had run away from their master and sought refuge within Union lines at Fort Monroe. When their master, Colonel Charles Mallory attempted to claim them, General Butler refused. Butler drew on his legal training for his answer. He called the...

In the Spring of 1861, Union forces abandoned the USS Merrimac, sinking it in the Elizabeth River near Norfolk, Virginia. The water was shallow enough to allow Confederates to raise the ship. During the Summer of 1861, the Merrimac was placed in dry dock at the Norfolk Navy Yard. Originally a wooden steam-powered gunboat, Confederate engineers began coating the hull with iron, renaming it the...

On July 25, 1861, four days after the First Battle of Bull Run, William T. Sherman completed his official after action report of the engagement. Serving as a Colonel in the Union Army, Sherman commanded a brigade during the battle. In his report he addressed many of the problems he and his men had encountered while in action. These included the incompetence of some officers and confusion over uniforms....

In 1861, the Civil War began in the United States. Susan Brardford Eppes was a teenager in the deep South and responded to this event with intense sorrow. She knew that war had arrived, and she knew war would change everything. In her initial response, Susan discussed the burden now facing the southern people. Everyone in the South had to be a part of the fight. Her support and sadness for the South...

Encamped in the wilderness of Virginia, mere days before his death in the first battle of the Civil War, a young major set pen to paper and began to write. In poignant eloquence, Sullivan Ballou described the conflicting forces at the heart of his identity. Though consumed by undying love for his wife, his patriotic devotion drove him forward toward battle—and death.“[M]y love of Country,”...

"Women don't like the country" was an article featured in the Rushlight, the literary magazine of Wheaton Female Seminary, on July 10, 1861. Writing about a lecture given at the school, the student author complained about the generalization the lecturer made concerning people who spend time in the country. She defended herself and other women in their love for nature by comparing the green...

"All She Wanted Was Elbow Room" was published in The Rushlight, a student literary magazine of Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton Massachusetts in 1861. The main characters Fannie North and Nancy South had extremely different views but the one characteristic they shared was their desire for change. The external image of two girls represented the divisive issue of slavery opinions in the...

Turner Reavis was a man of details. As a judge and a state senator, he was also a man of wealth. He kept meticulous records of the accounts for his plantation, Cedar Bluff. Reavis filled his ledger with precise descriptions of purchases and sales of cotton, food, supplies, animals, and the biggest investment of all, slaves. Reavis paid the same regard to his slaves he did the mules he sold and the...